Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus which performs washing, rinsing and dewatering so as to separate dirt from clothes by the interaction of detergent and water, and is classified into agitator type, pulsator type and drum type washing machines.
The agitator type washing machine washes laundry by rotating a washing rod overtopping at the center of the washing tub in left and right directions. This agitator type washing machine has a superior washing power, but also has disadvantages such as large noise and vibration, and damage of laundry. The agitator type washing machine is appropriate for a large-sized washing machine.
The pulsator type washing machine performs the washing by water current and frictional force generated by rotating a circular plate-shaped pulsator formed at the lower side of the washing machine. This pulsator type washing machine has maximum advantages in that the washing time is short, a large capacitive structure is possible, and other advantages such as relatively low noise and vibration and low costs, but it also has great disadvantages in that tangling phenomenon of laundry is caused and damage of laundry is relatively high.
In the drum type washing machine, water, detergent and laundry are loaded into a drum with a plurality of protruded tumbling ribs installed in an inner surface of the drum and the drum is rotated at a low speed. Then, the laundry is washed due to an Impact caused when the laundry is lifted by the tumbling ribs and then drops. The drum type washing machine has an advantage in that the laundry is not damaged. In addition, a small amount of water is consumed and the laundry is not tangled with each other.
Meanwhile, a dryer is a machine for automatically drying a wet laundry after completing a washing operation. In general, the wet laundry is loaded into a drum installed in an inner side of a cabinet and the drum is rotated. Then, a hot wind is supplied to an inside of the drum to thereby dry the wet laundry.
Recently, a combination dryer and drum washing machine, in which a dryer function as well as a washing function is added to the drum type washing machine, is practically available and its use increases gradually.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are cross sectional view and front sectional view showing inner structures of a general washing machine and dryer. Hereinafter, a detailed structure of the general washing machine and dryer will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the general washing machine and dryer includes a cabinet 10, a tub 20, a drum 30, a motor 40, a drain pump 50, a condensation unit 70, a drying unit 60, and a circulation fan 80.
The cabinet 10 forms an outer shell of the washing machine and dryer. A door 11 is provided at a front side of the cabinet 10. In case of the washing machine, a detergent box 14 is provided at one side of the interior of the cabinet 10. A washing water feed tube 150 led-in from an outside of the cabinet 10 is connected to the detergent box 14.
The tub 20 is cylinder-shaped, and is provided within the cabinet 10. This tub 20 is supported by a spring 13 and a damper 12.
The drum 30 is cylinder-shaped and is rotatably provided within the tub 20. A plurality of penetration holes are formed in the outer circumferential surface of the tube 20 constituted as above, and washing water supplied into the tub 20 through the penetration holes flows in or out the drum 30. A plurality of tumbling ribs 31 are provided on the inner surface of the drum 30.
The motor 40 is provided within the cabinet 40, and is connected with the drum 30 by a belt or the like to rotate the drum 30.
The drain pump 50 is connected with a lower side of the tub 20, and it pumps and discharges the water staying in the lower side of the tub 20 outside the cabinet 10 after washing, rinsing and dewatering. For this purpose, a drain hose 51 is installed to connect an outside of the cabinet 10 with the drain pump 50.
The drying unit 60 includes a drying duct 61 and a heater 62. The drying duct 61 is provided at an upper outer side of the tub 20, and its one end is connected with an inside of the tub 20. The heater 62 is installed in the drying duct 61 so as to heat air circulating the inside of the drying duct 61.
The condensation unit 70 includes a condensation duct 71, a cooling means for cooling and condensing the air flowing through the condensation duct 71.
The condensation duct 71 is installed such that one end thereof is connected to a lower side of the tub 20 and the other end is connected with the drying duct 61. As shown in FIG. 1, the condensation duct 71 is installed in an oblique direction so as to increase the contact area with the cooling water and the outer air. Also, the condensation duct 71 is formed in a rectangular type of which cross section is flat, so as to reduce the installation space.
In the meanwhile, the cooling means, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is a water-cooling type, and includes a cooling water supply unit 75. The cooling water supply unit 75 is installed at one side of the condensation duct 71, and functions to feed the cooling water fed from an outside into the inside of the condensation duct 71.
The circulation fan 80 is installed within the drying duct 61, and it circulates the air within the drum 30 through the condensation duct 71 and the drying duct 61.
Meanwhile, in order to prevent the inverse current of the washing water due to an external factor during the discharge of the washing water in the washing machine having the aforementioned constitution, there is provided a siphon hose 90. The siphon hose 90 is installed to connect the detergent box 14 with one end of the drain hose 51. If the siphon hose is installed as above, the washing water inversely flowing through the drain hose 51 is introduced toward the siphon hose 90, thereby reducing the influence of the inverse current. In case the inverse current amount of he washing water is somewhat large, the washing water introduced toward the siphon hose 90 is via the detergent box 14, flows down along the inner sidewall of the tub 20, and is again discharged to the outside.
The general drum washing machine constituted as above performs washing and drying operations as follows.
First, laundry is loaded into the drum 30. A proper amount of detergent is supplied into the detergent box 14 and washing water is also supplied through the water feed tube 15, so that washing water dissolving the detergent in the detergent box 14 is introduced into the tub 20 through the water feed hose 16. If the washing water is supplied up to a level within the tub 20, the drum 30 rotates to start the washing. At this time, the washing is performed while the laundry is lifted upwardly by the tumbling rib 31 along with the rotation of the drum 30, and is then dropped downwardly. In the meanwhile, whenever the washing, rinsing and dewatering steps are completed, the drain pump 50 operates to discharge the washing water within the tub 20 outside the cabinet 10 through the drain hose 51.
If the aforementioned washing step is completed, the heater 65 and the circulation fan 80 operate and the drum 30 rotates to perform the drying step. At this time, cooling water flows in the condensation duct 71 through the cooling water supply unit 75 of the condensation unit 70. If the drying step starts, the air within the drum 30 circulates the condensation duct 71, the drying duct 61, and the drum 30 sequentially. The air heated by the heater 65 vaporizes the moisture contained in the laundry within the drum 30, and the air containing the moisture is introduced into the condensation duct 71. The moist air introduced into the condensation duct 71 exchanges heat with the cooling water flowing down along the inner surface of the condensation duct 71, so that the moisture is condensed and removed. The air dried by the removal of the moisture in the condensation duct 71 is heated by the heater 65 in the drying duct 61, and then supplied to the drum 30. The aforementioned steps are repeated to thereby dry the laundry.
In the conventional drum washing machine and dryer constituted as above, in order to increase the contact area of the air passing through the condensation duct 71 with the cooling water, the condensation duct 71 is installed in an oblique direction. To this end, a large installation space for the condensation duct 71 and the drying duct 61 is necessary, and assembly process thereof is difficult.
In addition, in the drum washing machine having the inverse current preventing structure of the washing water, in case the amount of the inverse current washing water is excessive, the washing water introduced into the siphon hose 90 passes through the detergent box 14 and then poured to the inside of the drum 30. To this end, there is caused a problem in that the washing-completed laundry is again contaminated.